INDEPENDENT NEEDLEWORK NEWS

I’m sure you all remember this?

It’s the first of Just Nan’s limited edition WhimZi designs, entitled Christmas is Coming, which was released in late 2005.

What I remember is finding out about it fairly quickly — I mean everything else she released at the same time was still considered new and hadn’t been available more than a week — but Christmas is Coming was already sold out everywhere I checked. I was very disappointed, to say the least.

However, this past week, I decided to really try to locate one. Obviously, I’ve wanted one ever since I missed its initial release. But perhaps because of all the icky, wintery weather we’ve had here in central Illinois, which has caused the one-bad-cold-after-another phenomena I usually experience in the fall, and also very likely because I am still reeling and trying to recover from all the frightful events that happened to my family and me between the end of August and the middle of November of last year, I rather feel as if I missed something and that time is heading toward the yuletide instead of toward spring. So, I emailed every single shop who is listed at Just Nan’s site as carrying the limited edition WhimZi releases to ask if they might still have one.

As I mentioned, I’m suffering from one of those seemingly unending colds, so it’s about all I could manage to put together this email (thank goodness for BCC, but I still had a LOT of work to do to copy/paste all the email addresses, LOL … ) — and then to wade through all the responses as they arrived.

One of the first things I learned is that Just Nan and quite a number of the shops on the list — assuming those shops are still in existence — really need to work together to update her list because a lot of those emails bounced back as no longer valid.

Of course, I did also hear back from many shops saying they did not have a Christmas is Coming chartpack to offer me.

However, my perseverance was worth it. Not only did I find one for me (I jumped on the first offer that came in, which was from Lynda — who charmed me by stating she was “tickled” to be able to help — at The Stitcher’s Garden in Arkansas, a shop which does not have a website, or you know I would point you to it!), but I’ve also located a very small surplus of Christmas is Coming chartpacks at several other shops around the country.

Because I know I’m certainly not alone in my experience of having found out about Christmas is Coming after it seemed to have been snapped up by the Ghost of Christmas Past, and as the job I’ve taken upon myself here at Independent Needlework News is to help out other stitchers — as well as to, at the same time, help out the many wonderful shops who work so hard to keep us all in stitches (or should I say INN stitches? ), I am going to list the shops who have one or more of these available so that those of you who are still seeking a Christmas is Coming chartpack might get one. You definitely will want to HURRY, because after these are gone, they really are gone (well, other than if any of the shops whose emails bounced are still around using other email addresses … and still happen to have one or a few tucked away in their stock, that is).

The Iron Kettle in Wyoming has one left and is happy to help. Call 800-801-5660 to order.

Judy’s Stitchery Nook in Texas has several and would love to help you get yours — call 956-421-2654 to order. Judy also offers a small cut of fabric if you need it to go with your chartpack, so ask for this if you’re interested.

Laurel’s Stitchery, an online shop out of New Mexico which will soon be relocating to Virginia, still has eight Christmas is Coming chartpacks in stock! Please use that link to order online; availability can be seen right on the site. By the way, Laurel’s Stitchery is proof that an online store can not just survive but thrive through several physical moves and seemingly insurmountable life changes. Laurel’s story is a true inspiration — and has a very happy ending, too! In fact, it’s also a happy ending for us stitchers, because a move means a clearance sale (10% off on all in stock items, and this sale starts today) so there’s less to pack (and unpack, LOL)!

Needles and Niceties, another shop without a website but one which sounds well worth a visit if you are ever in the Upland, California area based on this February 2001 “Shop Focus” from the Caron Collection, has two Christmas is Coming chartpacks available. Call 800-955-5358 to order. By the way, Just Nan’s teddy bear design Ebenezer was dedicated to Bob Vasaturo, who owns Needles and Niceties, which is the largest Just Nan retailer in California!

The Stitcher’s Garden in Arkansas (where I got mine from) still has three more available. Call 501-513-1851 to order. I know Lynda would be tickled to help you, too!

Thistle Needleworks in Glastonbury, Connecticut had two available. However, Judie (who took her time responding to my inquiry in the first place!) was quite ticked I’d had the gall to contact more than one shop seeking this rare chartpack and insinuated she needed no help from INN because she would probably already have sold both chartpacks prior to this article going to press. If you want to check, though, call 800-635-9757. (Please make sure to mention you’re calling because of this article. Or if you really want this, maybe you shouldn’t mention it — she appreciates so little advertising for her business that she might not sell it to you if she realizes you’re calling because of this article!)

Good luck … and consider being the odd one and starting from the bottom or middle of the list when you make your calls. Once again, HURRY: I don’t expect this surplus inventory to last out the rest of the week, and perhaps not even the rest of the day.